Historically, the Jewish people assimilate whenever two conditions exist: 1) their host country grants them peace and freedom 2) the culture of that country appeals to them. Ancient Greece was therefore the paradigm of Jewish assimilation. Because of the relationship between Alexander the Great and Shimon Ha Tzaddik, the Jews were spared from violent conquest, and because of the attractiveness of Greek philosophy, sports, and theater, masses of Jews became Hellenists. With military history and cultural detail, Rabbi Wein shows how the stage was set for the war-torn years of the Chanukah miracle.

• Greek culture: why the "classics" hold such appeal
• Alexander's first encounter with Shimon Ha Tzaddik
• the minyan shtarot, calendar for Jewish legal documents
• a devastating analysis of Jewish assimilation through the ages

Haggaddah Shiur 2025 given by Rabbi Ralbag on April 8, 2025

The Men of the Great Assembly

In the Second Temple period, the Jews were prevented from re-establishing the kingship in Jerusalem. In its place, Ezra and Nechemia created the Great Assembly, a legal body of 120 righteous men. Rabbi Wein details their many great accomplishments, from compiling the Tanach and siddur to fighting a war against the Samaritans. The spiritual and political achievements of the Great Assembly were responsible for preserving Jewish life not only in the glorious past but for the distant future.

• The Men of the Great Assembly; spiritual checks and balances in Jewish government
• The origins of the Jewish calendar and prayer book
• What was and what wasn't included in the canon of the Bible and why
• The history of the Hebrew Apocrypha and the ban against it